I John 3:6 “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.  No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” 

Among my family’s most prized possessions is my father’s Bible.  Its leather shows the wear and tear of many years of use. Numerous pages are held together by tape that has yellowed with time.  The binding has long since separated.  As for earthly value, this worn and tattered book has none.  But for me, my father’s beloved, weathered book with his thoughts and meditations scribbled throughout the margins, is priceless. It was years after his death that I discovered this treasure and through teary eyes opened it to find written inside its cover the following:

THIS BOOK will keep you from sin.  Sin will keep you from THIS BOOK.

What truth!  Our loving Father gifted us with everything needed to protect us from sin.  What an awesome God!  But, absence from God’s Word removes His powerful source of strength from our lives and we rely more and more on our own sinful ways.  Eventually, our desires and cravings for God’s holy ways disappear from our lives.

Have you ever tried to eliminate sugar from your diet?  That journey can prove difficult.  There may be moments of surrender at the sight of any semblance of chocolate. The neon sign flashing “Hot Donuts Now” can jerk your vehicle to a screeching halt.  And, for a while you may find yourself salivating at the sight of a Betty Crocker commercial on television.  However, if you persist and remain dedicated to your sugar-free goal, those luscious desserts will begin to lose their allure.

The journey to being free of sugar is very much like our journey to rid our lives of sin.  It is not an easy one because our preferred sin, just like sugar, becomes part of who we are and what we automatically do in life.  Sin heaps upon us numerous unwanted consequences.  So why do we persist in sin? Because relinquishing anything that is part of who we are and what we love, like sugar or sin, is a difficult process.

Sin holds power over us as humans.  Sin places our hearts in direct conflict with God.  Sin separates us from communion with Him. But, remember, when we open God’s Word, our hearts begin to align with God’s heart and sin loses its allure.  It is then that we gain the power to fight Satan.

We are not the only generation to struggle with the allure of sin.  King David in Psalm 63:1 (NKJV) sought strength from God early in the morning, but when in moments of weakness he failed, David returned to God for cleansing.  For strength, Joshua was commanded by the Lord to never allow God’s Word to depart from his mouth, and to meditate constantly on it.  Even Jesus Christ, when confronted with Satan’s temptation, relied on God’s Word for strength. If these heroes of faith sought strength from God’s Word in order to battle sin, how much more should we!

Sisters, amazingly we can fuel each day by opening God’s Word and accessing His strength.  And when we fail Him, He graciously offers us the chance to return.  So always remember:

THIS BOOK will keep you from sin.  Sin will keep you from THIS BOOK.

Father God, help me to remember that strength to fight against sin comes from staying close to you. May my heart constantly yearn for your Word.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane